Tom Heaton is backing Manchester United team-mate Senne Lammens to emerge stronger from his World Cup disappointment. Lammens, 24, had been back-up to Thibaut Courtois until the veteran Belgium goalkeeper was injured 19 minutes from the end of the quarter-final against Spain. The youngster had barely touched the ball before he spilled Pau Cubarsi's shot late in the game, allowing Arsenal's Mikel Merino to steer home and give Spain a 2-1 victory.

Lammens was distraught at the final whistle and Heaton has spoken to the youngster, who was outstanding at United last season after arriving from Royal Antwerp for £18.1m. "Yes, I spoke to him," said Heaton after Manchester United's opening pre-season defeat by Wrexham in Helsinki. "It was obviously a challenging moment for him, but that's the life of a goalkeeper. As soon as you put the gloves on and go between the sticks, you have to be ready to deal with that. He'll be stronger for it."

Lammens is now on a three-week break before returning to pre-season training in early August, potentially available for the Gothenburg encounter with Paris St-Germain on 8 August. Despite criticism in Belgium, confidence at United remains strong. Karl Darlow, 35, was signed as back-up on 14 July while Heaton, 40, still views himself as a player after signing a one-year deal. "I highly doubt Senne will be going into it with fear or worrying about what may happen," said Heaton. "Senne is very strong mentally. I saw that from him as a young goalkeeper coming into Manchester United and dealing with it unbelievably well."